Advancing reel



Aug. 25, 1953 -P. M. COLE 4 ADVANCING REEL Filed May 21, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. PA UL MORRISON COZE A TTORNEY Aug. 25, 1953 COLE 2,649,645

ADVANCING REEL INVENTOA ATTORNEY PAUL MORRISON cow Patented Aug. 25, 1953 ADVANCING REEL Paul Morrison Cole, Wilmington, Del., assignor to E. I. 'du Pont de Nemours & Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application May 21, 1949, Serial No. 94,541

This invention relates to the provision of apparatus for continually processing shaped articles. More particularly it relates to advancing and storing shaped articles.

By shaped articles is meant yarns, threads, monofils, ribbons, strands and the like. While the discussion below pertains in the main to the use of the apparatus of this invention in the continuous spinning and processing of synthetic filaments, it is understood that the apparatus described herein may be employed wherever a shaped article is to be advanced or stored.

It is well-known that yarn may be advanced in the form of a helix upon a variety of reels. These reels usually involve a considerable number of moving parts. A typical example is the reel in which yarn carrying bars move outward into contact with the yarn, then forward carrying the yarn in this movement, then inward out of contact with the yarn and finally backward to re- T peat position. Commercial use of advancing devices hitherto known, such as the illustrated reel, involves a large number of units and considerable maintenance cost. Production in both items is highly desirable. The desired results cannot be obtained through the use of skewed reels because there is a limitation on their length due to the interference between non-parallel bars.

An object of this invention is to provide a new advancing device and process. Another object of this invention is to provide an advancing device which involves simple construction and relatively few moving parts. A further object is the provision of an advancing device in which the article after contacting the device automatically advances in a helical path on the device. A still further object is the provision of new apparatus and process for advancing, storing and winding shaped articles. Other and additional 'objects will appear hereinafter.

The objects of this invention are accomplished by winding the shaped article to be processed on a rotating reel comprising two intermeshing circular cages which have slightly separated parallel axes and supporting surfaces formed into a multiplicity of inclined planes resembling saw teeth or, in effect, bars equipped with rounded, saw-tooth edges. One set of bars is mounted concentrically, the other ec-centrically to the axle. The teeth carried on each arm or bar are out-of-phase with those carried by either adjacent bar. The arms on the concentrically mounted set are so positioned that each arm in the set is always between two arms of the eccentrically mounted set and vice versa. One set can, in its rotation, cause 6 Claims. (Cl. 28-71.?)

the other to rotate or both sets may be driven by the same means, for example, by a, rotating axle.

As the two sets rotate as a unit, a given point on the shaped article, assuming string-up has been accomplished, passes from the depression in one saw-tooth into a depression of the succeeding saw-tooth in the adjacent arm. This process is repeated until the yarn has advanced from one end of the reel to the other. The reel is self-advancing; the helical, lateral advancement of the yarn or shaped article is automatic. The teeth on the-two intermeshing cages are so arranged that the teeth on a bar of one cage lead the teeth of the preceding bar on the other cage by one-half the tooth pitch. Rotation of the reel causes the yarn or shaped article being processed to be picked up by each cage once in every, 180 rotation. The inclined slope of the teeth results in the helical, lateral advancement of the article because the slipwise forward movement to the roots of successive teeth is the path of least resistance.

This invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following illustrative figures in which like numbers refer to like parts and in which: i

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the reel with the eccentricity in the vertical plane,

Figure 2 is a front end view,

Figure 3 is a detail showing the relationship of several teeth on two adjacent bars and the yarn ends thereon;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4- of Figure 2 and Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Figure 1. g

Referring to the figures, an axle l is rotatably mounted in a support 2 and spindle 20 by any conventional means. Spindle 20 may act as the sole support if suitably attached. While the figures show and the description is concerned with a cantilever construction, the reel may be supported at both ends, if desired. For ease of string-up and for economy, the cantilever construction is preferred. The axle I, so mounted and rotated by a motor not shown, has mounted on it an inner cage 3 and an outer cage 4. The one cage (inner) is mounted concentrically to an axle or shaft I and the other cage (outer) is mounted eccentrically, as shown in Figure 5, or vice versa. In either construction, the axes of the two cages lie parallel and relatively close together. The concentric cage has at its outer extremity a plurality of bars [2 mounted on member 1, these bars carrying saw-teeth or serr 3 rations l3. The eccentric cage has a ring 8 at its outer end and at its inner end a support 9. Support 9 with co-supporting members and II are rotatably mounted on spindle and hold bearing I8 in place laterally. These can be seen in Figure 4. On the eccentric cage similar bars I4 are mounted on the ring 8 and support 9. These saw toothbars are shown in Figures 1 and 4. "The bars [2 en cage '3 and bars 14 on cage 4 are interdigitated. The intermeshing of, these bars can be seen in Figures 2 and 5, for example.

As shown in Figure 4, the member I support-- ing the bars l2 of concenftfie'tiage-e 'is seven by shaft l by any convenieht'loickihgiineans, his; j

4 teeth 30 shown by the solid line ar on a bar, say l2, moving away and downward. The thread ends 3| are resting on the roots of these teeth. The teeth 32, marked by the dotted lines, are on a bar, say l4, following the former but coming upward. In these movements each thread end 3| will land on the slopes of teeth 32 and as rotation continuesfthey leave the teeth 30 entirely as'bar 12 drops away and finally the ends rest in the roots of teeth 32. Since the roots of 32 are closer to the outermost part or gu supported end of the reel than the roots of 30, the yarn has advanced. Each succeeding bar cei itsefs'the-process to be repeated.

threaded and member I is held on the shaft by means of lock washer l5 and lock nut "It. The

eccentric cage 4, composed of outer ring 8 conneeded to inner supports 9, F0 and H by saw-tooth bars ii, is rotatably mounted by bearings I 8 and neeele bearings f9 onspindle 2'0. This spindle a'ets as the support for both cages. It does not rbtate and bearings 21 and 22 are provided to enable sh'aft to rotate without driving spindle 20. Concentric cage 3, composed of member 7 carrying saw-tooth bars 12, is mounted directly on she I and is moiln'ted so that it can rotate about spindle'fl) by means of bearings 21 and 22. "various parts are bolted'together by bolts and :huts as shown at 23 in Figure 4. A protective "cap 2'4 fastened by any convenient means such a spring clip is placed on the outermost end of concentric cage 3. At the innermost end is a diaphragm seal 25 for exclusion of processing liqiliiis from the bearings. This is held in place by convenient means, as, for example, by spring 6-. The diaphragm seal may be made of "-any material resistant to the processing liquids. Phenolic resin's can' be used, for example, in making the diaphragm.

Rotation of axle 1 causes concentric cage 3 to rotate. As the bar's 12 on this cage rotate one at them will eventually strike one of the bars M on eccentric cage 4. Such a point of centttct is shown at '26 in Figure 5. This "contact will cause cage 1 to rotate.

The yarn wrap 21 can "beseen 'in Figure 1. It is helical in shape. "The thread 28 is fed to the rotating reel at a point near the support and with the reel rotating in a clockwise direction the thread advances to the enter part :of'the reel. The yarn will move from the innermost par-t to the outermost ipart regardless of the di'rehtion of rotation if the major slope of the teeth faces the outer end. Opposite movement is dbtained by =usrhg teet'h with a slope in the opposite direction. Asgiven wrap of .yarn on the r-eel is hot exactly circular, due to the eccentricity. This can be seen in Figure 5 where the dotted line 29 shows the yarn resting 'onlynn the bars of the cohceritric c'age at certain areas, only on the bars of the eccentric wage at o'ther -polnts, and on both *a't still other positions. This can he se'en al'so' inl igure 1 as to the whole yarn wrap which "rests the roots of tneseeth onnertegm bars andnn theslepes ef the teeth of dtl'lr bars and, at certain areas is not in contact with bar, thett is, areas between two consecutive yarn supporting bars bf one case. -As the reel is re -1tating,one ima e :is alternately picking the yes-n wrap on the other cage and advancin the yarn mecause e'f :tne di-ii'e'rence in pitch of the teeth. immense 3ithisedvancement cen be Seen. l he I In anyinodification the reel is constructed so that the Working parts never come in contact vvithr'the treating liquid. Only the yarn supporting saw-tooth bars come into contact with the The various parts of the reel are constructed of any meteriei resistant to tihe action of the liquidsapplied to the yarn or shaped article being treated. Such materials include, stainless steel, aluminum,Monel metal, various synthetic resins and the like. Generally, the reels are made of light weight material's.

The'reel may be of sufficient length to allow for complete processing of the shaped article :on one reel. For example, if rayon is being produced, the thread may come :directly fro'rn the spinning bath to the reel where the following treatments, washing, d'e'sulfuring, rew'a'sliin'g, bleaching, rewash'in'g, -finishing and tlr-ying :can he applied successively as the thread advances. Appropriate catch pans and conduits :can :be placed beneath the 'reel to recover processing iiquids. It is also possible to =carry out diffierent processing steps "on different, successive reels. Since the bars on the two "cages are parallel, it is possible to extend them 130 great lengths and thereby gain maximum mechanical 'efii'ciency. Long reels are, accordingly, preferred.

aAsis'h'awn in-Fi'girres 1, 3 and 4- the :te'ethon *the bars sit the iecc'entric cage are :out of :phase with rthose ion the b'fiilS :of the cdncen'tric cage. The "difference is, iinFgeireraL one-half thet'ooth pitch. While this iditference smay vary, :it is preferred that the difference be as shownhecanse the .yarn i-ollowsfinth'e helicalipath'very:readily. Similar- E'ly,t'he 'len'gth of thewertic'al e'clge 'o'f the-'to'otm'and the zlengthfof :the sloping edge may be varied considerably rdepen'dingznpon ithread size, tension to the applied, etc. fllhe teeth may :be rounded iin either a 'convex 'o'r 'concaVe fashion. The differvenee @in pitch and shape 10f the "teeth, however, rn'ust be suc'h that the yarn advances. That-is, anytcnnstructicm in whi'ch a lyarn end-'coulil fa'll ontth'e apex of:a to'oth an'd thereby fall iii-either .(lirection on th'e principal bar mus-t'b'e avoided. Likewise, the distance of one ea'g'e axi-s from the ioth'er :may vary, but Eth'e eccentricity must be great eenough ito 5 cause th'e threads to clear the crownso'f 'one s'et (if i teeth at each er ztrerne position. iExc-ess eccentricityother than to provide a?factor dfisafety,?handicaps the design. Ingeneral, 'Eth'e a-xes i lie cl'os'e together.

It is possible-also, to use one "or :more-'smooth *e'dge 'f'bars -inste'ad of the saw-toothed bars on neither cage. 'For l'hlie'al advancement, the saw- -'..t'ooth ibars, the to'oth .displaeement and the described eccentricity of the cages are required, --'of cefu'rse, but the degree-cf advancement, amount "of tension on the yarnfetc. may be variedby use fof an ncea'sidn'al sm'eoth surfaced "bar in either wage. zflurtheryeither 'or both of the cages bearing the saw-tooth bars may be tapered in either direction. For processing under very low tensions, the bars are tapered downwardly in the direction of advancement. Generally, the construction of the reel inherently permits processing under low tensions and tapering is not essential. For stretching or for processing under increased tension, it is necessary to taper the bars upwardly in the direction of advancement. The use of saw teeth on an intermeshing reel with skewed axes permits a tapered construction for stretching or relaxing to a higher degree than has been heretofore possible with such reels.

The apparatus and methods of this invention are advantageous in that there is a minimum of moving parts. The yarn or shaped article advances in a helical path in a self-advancing manner. The reel is of simple construction and it may be rotated at various speeds to accommodate articles of different sizes. Any of the wellknown spinning procedures, such as the dry, wet or melt spinning techniques, may be used in connection with this apparatus. A series of reels of this invention may be used in tier or any other such fashion. Successive reels may be so constructed that different tensions are applied on the article being processed. One outstanding advantage of this invention lies in the fact that the yarn may be advanced without applying tension on the yarn. Only a very low tension need be used and this tension approaches that exerted on the yarn by the centrifugal force. Further, the reel is self-threading; if a yarn end is thrown around the revolving reel, the yarn wrap forms automatically. If desired, the end may carry an adhesive. Still further, the simple construction of the reel of this invention permits the ready use of reels of substantial size and hence of great advancing and storing capacity.

By the apparatus and processes of this invention yarns and the like of any material may be continually advanced and stored and processed during advancing and storing. Such materials include natural materials, such as cotton, as well as synthetics such as regenerated cellulose, cellulose acetate, polyamides, polyacrylonitriles and the like.

An departure from the procedure described herein which conforms to the principles of the invention is intended to be included within the scope of the claims below.

I claim:

1. A reel for advancing a yarn in a general helical path comprising two rotatable circular cages, each comprising a plurality of parallel mounted bars; said cages being mounted on off- Set axes parallel with each other and with said bars; said bars being intermeshed; serrations on the said bars, the serrations on any bar of one cage being out of phase with those on adjacent bars on the other cage.

2. A reel in accordance with claim 1 in which the difference in phase of said serrations amounts to about one-half the pitch of said serrations.

3. A reel for advancing a yarn in a general helical path comprising an outer circular cage, bearing yarn supporting surfaces in the form of a plurality of planes resembling saw-teeth; an inner circular cage mounted on an axis parallel and offset to the axis of said outer circular cage, bearing yarn supporting surfaces in the form of a plurality of planes resembling saw-teeth out of phase with said surfaces on said outer cage; and driving means for rotating the inner cage concentrically and the outer cage eccentrically with respect to the axis of the inner cage.

4. A reel in accordance with claim 3 in which the difference in phase of said yarn supporting surfaces amounts to about one-half the pitch of said surfaces.

5. A reel for advancing a yarn in a general helical path comprising a driven axle; a spindle journaled thereon; an outer circular cage rotatably mounted on said spindle, along an axis common to that of said spindle, said common axis being parallel and offset to the axis of said axle; a plurality of serrated bars on the periphery of said outer cage; an inner circular cage mounted to be driven by said axle, its axis of rotation being common to that of said axle and a plurality of serrated bars on the periphery of said inner cage which intermesh with said bars on said outer cage, the serrations on a bar of the inner cage being out of phase with the serrations on adjacent bars of the outer cage.

6. A reel in accordance with claim 5 in which the difference in phase of said serrations amounts to about one-half the pitch of said serrations.

PAUL MORRISON COLE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,266,574 Torrence Dec. 16, 1941 2,277,753 Furness Mar. 31, 1942 2,398,808 Slayter et al Apr. 23, 1946 2,424,489 Moritz July 22, 1947 2,578,330 Kohorn Dec. 11, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 558,472 France May 25, 1923 626,508 Great Britain July 15, 1949 

